The present invention relates generally to carts used in transporting sports equipment, and more particularly to golf carts.
Golf is a sport which its practitioners often take very seriously. In particular, golfers may have a large selection of clubs to use for every foreseeable occasion, and consequently, the golf bag and its collection of clubs may become heavy and cumbersome to carry around the golf course. One answer to this problem has been the golf cart, to which the bag can be strapped, thus relieving the golfer of the burden of carrying his collection of clubs upon his shoulders.
A golf cart ideally has several qualities which make it well suited for its purpose. One such quality is stability, since the cart will be expected to be driven over rough terrain, possibly in varying weather conditions. To aid in stability, it is thus desirable that the cart have tires and wheels of a sufficient diameter that the wheels do not become stuck in small ruts and mud puddles. The cart should have a sufficiently wide wheel base that it does not easily tip over when on sloped terrain, or when buffeted by winds. It must additionally be large enough in its frame that a fair sized golf bag can be easily secured to it, usually at top and bottom, thus implying a certain minimum length between the wheels and the upper handle.
All of these features which add to the cart""s stability do so by establishing a certain breadth and length to the cart. Unfortunately, these same breadth and length requirements also serve to make the cart bulky, and less easily portable than may be desirable. One partial solution to the bulk of these golf carts has been to make them somewhat foldable in some part or parts. However, the compactness of a golf cart is still generally limited by the same features, namely wheel diameter, and frame length, which lend stability.
Another fairly recent trend in golf carts is for carts that are pushed ahead of the user rather than being pulled behind. The traditional xe2x80x9cpull behindxe2x80x9d cart was a two-wheeled structure with a support foot acting as a third support for parking the cart. The foot was lifted from engagement with the ground by tilting the cart backwards so the support foot left the ground, and then rolled on the two wheels. This xe2x80x9cpull behindxe2x80x9d style had certain ergonomic disadvantages, compared to a push style cart, particularly because the user had to being continually reaching behind himself to hold the handle, which twisted the user""s body, and could potentially aggravate back problems, muscle strains, etc. Additionally, the user is less able to watch for obstructions in the cart""s path, since it is being pulled behind, while the user is presumably watching the terrain ahead of him. A pushcart can often propel itself down a slope or on hard ground. A pull cart requires constant attention and effort. Our arms are not designed to pull an object or otherwise work behind us. Usually, when performing any task that requires such an effort, we would turn around and face the task. This could be dangerous on the golf course with a pull cart (i.e. ponds, cliffs, snakes, etc.) Additionally, pushing a cart allows the golfer to stand directly on the extended centerline of the cart, maximizing his energy expenditure.
There is thus still a great need for a golf cart which can collapse or fold so that its various components can be reconfigured into a very compact structure, but without disassembling its components, and thus can be quickly moved from a collapsed configuration to an extended one with a minimum of effort.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cart which collapses to a compact configuration.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cart which has a long wheel base for stability.
And another object of the invention is to provide a cart which has large diameter wheels for easy navigation over terrain.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cart which is pushed rather than pulled.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cart with a handle which is ergonomically designed for comfort.
An additional object of the present invention is provide a collapsible cart which moves quickly and easily between its extended and collapsed configurations.
Briefly, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a golf bag cart having a frame, a handle, first and second rear wheels, and first and second wheel struts, to which the first and second rear wheels are rotatably mounted, the first and second wheel struts being pivotally mounted to the frame by mid-frame pivots. A front wheel and a front wheel mount are included, the front wheel mount being pivotally attached to the frame by a lower frame pivot. The golf bag cart is movable from a extended configuration to a collapsed configuration, such that the rear wheels pivot about the mid-frame pivots to move towards the front wheel. The front wheel and the wheel mount pivot about the lower frame pivot so that the front wheel moves towards the rear wheels, as golf bag cart is being collapsed.
An advantage of the present invention is it provides a very wide and stable wheel base when in extended configuration.
Another advantage of the invention is it quickly and easily collapses into a compact shape for storage or transportation.
And another advantage of the invention is that it is designed to be pushed rather than pulled, and has (comparatively) large diameter wheels, thus requiring less energy to move and maneuver.
A further advantage of the invention is that being a three-wheeled cart rather than a two-wheeled cart, it can stand upright without further support; therefore no effort is required to balance the cart.
An additional advantage is that on level or downgrade hills, the present invention can travel unaided for 10 to 50 yards, thus minimizing effort.
Yet another advantage of the invention is that the cart will stand erect when folded so it can be stored in the bagroom or garage compactly.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and the industrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.